Lynne's Unhappy Lesson

Lynne was hunched on the edge of the couch, her arms wrapped around her. Her downcast eyes followed feet pacing before her. When they stopped, she raised doleful brown eyes to Gary's face. Neither spoke. She knew that he was furious. Hands clasped in her lap, she lowered her eyes, and waited for the tirade to break over her head.

"Lynne...look at me!" he barked.

A tear slid down her cheek as she obeyed. Gary took a deep breath, raked his hands through his hair and started to speak. He shook his head, turned, walked a few feet away and stood with his back to her. Lynne chewed her finger as she waited. She had never seen him like this before.

He turned to face her. "What in the name of Heaven were you thinking?"

Lynne flinched, but kept her eyes on the floor. From the corner of her eye, she saw the feet take up their stance in front of her again.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was when that squad car pulled up with you and Sarah? Well, do you? My God, woman! I cannot believe you would do something so stupid! Lynne ... I want an answer! NOW! Look at me!"

Lynne hesitated, gathering her thoughts to explain why she and Sarah had been in the back of a squad car. "Well ... it's kinda hard to explain."

"Then I suggest you start!" he said in a deadly quiet voice.

In a quavery voice she explained. "Sarah and I were just going for a walk. It's a nice day and I thought we'd go to the park, then come back home. But when we got to the corner, Sarah darted off the other way and wouldn't stop. I started to chase her."

Suppressed sobs broke through and she had to stop.

"Lynne ... you are the adult! It's your responsibility to take care of Sarah and not let her run off. My God ... you both could have been killed or seriously injured. Did you stop to think of that when you ran into the street after her?"

"I'm sorry, Gary. Really. I just didn't think. I was afraid Sarah would reach a busier street before I could catch her. I know it was my fault that driver swerved and hit a parked car. I know I deserve the fine for jaywalking and causing the accident, but I had to catch Sarah and you know how fast she can run. The police officer told me how careless I was. I feel terrible, but nobody was hurt."

Tears dripped from Lynne's chin as she finished and waited for Gary to explode again. There was silence for several minutes. She sniffled, rubbed her hand across her nose like a child, and raised her eyes. Gary stood there, silently assessing her. He took a deep breath and started to speak, but hesitated. Finally he said, "Lynne ... I've told you, you are the adult. You need to think before blindly rushing around. You could have just called Sarah, and not chased her into traffic."

He turned and yelled, "Sarah, get in here!"

Tentative footsteps sounded from the hallway. "NOW, Sarah! At once!"

Timid brown eyes, topped with a mop of curly brown hair peeked around the doorframe. Gary waited, looked at her and repeated, "Sarah, get in here. This is your fault, too."

Sarah crept into the room, looked over her shoulder as she sidled past Gary, then scurried to the couch. She crawled up beside Lynne and snuggled against her. Lynne put a protective arm around her shoulders and cast a defiant look at Gary. "Don't yell at Sarah. It's my fault and I admit it. You're right. I should have called and I shouldn't have run after her. She thought we were playing and kept going."

Gary said, "I'm glad you realize that and I hope you realize how lucky you are that neither one of you was hurt. Will you ever learn to think first? Your impulsiveness will get you into serious trouble some day. I'm so mad right now I could spank you!"

Sarah and Lynne cowered against each other. In all the years they'd been together, he'd never threatened her before.

She remembered what he'd said the last time she'd done something silly. 'I swear, Lynne, if you're going to act like a child, then I'm going to treat you like a child and give you a good spanking! In fact, the next time ... and if you're smart, there won't be a next time ... I will spank you! You'd best remember that, because I mean it.'

"Lynne ... go upstairs, now!"

Lynne hugged Sarah and slid off the couch. She gave Gary a wide berth. Her heart thumped and butterflies stomped in her stomach as the phrase 'the next time I will spank you' played an endless echo in her mind.

Did he really mean it? She'd never been spanked as a child and couldn't believe Gary would do that. She was sure he wouldn't. He'd only said it because he was exasperated with her. He would never spank her ... would he? Adults didn't spank adults ...did they?

Then she remembered the video they'd watched with Jill and David. There'd been a spanking scene and she remembered Gary's comment, "Gee, maybe that's what Lynne needs."

They'd laughed, but David said, "Well, that's what I use to keep Jill in line. She knows if she pushes me too far, she'll get a good, hard spanking and time in the corner to think about it."

Jill had chuckled, "I've been known to spank him, too, when he deserved it!"

Gary had turned to Lynne and playfully said, "Well, babe ... you've been warned. Other bad girls get spanked, and you will, too."

Lynne was half way up the stairs when she heard Gary's raised voice. "Sarah, I swear, you're worse than Lynne. There are times when neither one of you thinks."

She paused on the stairs when she heard Gary laugh. As irate as he'd been, how could he laugh? She crept down back down to the door and peeked into the living room. She stifled her own laugh as she saw Sarah ...150 lbs of St. Bernard stretched full length on the couch, head pushed under a throw pillow.

Gary chuckled, "Sarah, what am I going to do with you? Your ostrich act won't work this time. You must think that if you can't see me, then I can't see you. Silly dog! Get off the couch and get to your bed. I can't spank you. With all that fur, you'd never feel it. But, for the next two weeks you'll get no treats or bones. And you'll be on a leash when you're walked till you learn that you can't run off. Now get to your bed!"

The only word Sarah understood was 'bed.' Chastened, she slid off the couch, sidled past Gary and galloped out of the room. As Sarah skidded through the door, she collided with Lynne. At Lynne's muffled "Oomph," Gary turned and saw her in the doorway.

"Lynne! I told you to get upstairs and wait for me! What part didn't you understand? Now get up there before I lose any more patience! You've earned a spanking, now! Irritate me any more and you'll be surprised what else you get! One way or another, I will be in charge of this house again. You and that hare-brained dog have almost driven me over the edge."

Lynne stood for a second. Her eyes scanned Gary's face before she sighed and trudged up the stairs. She'd never seen him like this before, and hoped he would calm down before he came up. Every step echoed: Spank. Spank. Spank.

"He won't spank me," she thought as she turned into their bedroom. "He's just upset and has to vent."

But she couldn't forget how he'd looked that night at David and Jill's. She couldn't explain it. She just knew it was as if a light had turned on or something. Also, she couldn't forget the look David and Jill had exchanged when they talked about spanking. A strange look. It was a ... well ... 'turned on' look, she thought. Could somebody enjoy that? From the look they'd shared, it seemed they must.

Lynne sank down on the edge of the bed, kicked off her shoes and nibbled a ragged fingernail. Her ears were cocked for the sound of Gary's footsteps on the hardwood stairs. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach. She slid off the bed and tiptoed to the door to see if she could hear anything. Nothing. Her apprehension grew as she paced the length of the room.

After long minutes of silence, she thought, "This is silly. Gary loves me. He's not going to spank me, for Pete's sake. He's probably reading the paper while he waits for me to come down." He'd laughed at Sarah, so he couldn't be as mad as he'd sounded.

Lynne went into the bathroom, used the toilet, then washed and dried her hands. A quick glance in the mirror showed that she needed to at least comb her hair. She took the time to wash her face and put on minimal make up. A quick flick of the brush and she had her hair in a ponytail. As she laid the brush back on the counter, she looked at the back of it. With a shudder, she thought, "No, he wouldn't use that, even if he did try to spank me."

Flipping the light switch, she went back to the bedroom and decided to change into a sweat suit before she went downstairs. As she pulled off her blouse and skirt, she thought she might as well be comfortable, so she slid off her panties and unclasped her bra. She pulled on a soft, fleecy sweatshirt and matching pants, slipped into a pair of comfortable slippers and headed to the stairs.

She peered over the railing and saw Gary on the phone by the living room door. His voice drifted up to her. She leaned forward a bit to see if she could hear, but heard only a few words now and then. "... spanked ... really ... do ... to Jill ... react ... hurt ... don't have ... never ... OK ... minute."

"God!" she thought. "He is serious. He must be talking to David." She heard a few more indistinguishable murmurs before the back door clicked closed. She rushed to the spare bedroom window in time to see his car turn at the corner. The unwelcome thought that he must be meeting David slithered into her mind.

Stunned that he would even consider it, Lynne wondered how to talk him out of it. Frantic thoughts whirled. "I've never been spanked. He can't. He won't." She calmed a bit as she thought, "I don't even know where he went. Maybe he just had an errand."

After a second of indecision, she hurried back to the bedroom. She knew that if he did go to David's, she'd have at least a few minutes before he could get there. She dialed Jill's number, hoping Jill would answer. If David answered, she couldn't ask for Jill. Luckily Jill answered, and Lynne said in a rush, "You won't believe this. I think Gary's been talking to David and ...."

Jill broke in and said, "Hi, Lynne ... yep, they just got off the phone. What the heck did you do to make Gary so upset? He talked to David about how to spank you. He's on his way here to borrow some ... ummm ... things to use. He said you'd never been spanked before and never had ...."

In a panic, Lynne cried, "Never had what? What, Jill? What're you talking about?"

Instead of Jill's voice, she heard David. "Lynne ... I thought Gary told you to wait for him. I don't think he'd be happy to know you're on the phone. We had a nice talk." He chuckled. "I imagine he'll be more than happy to tell you, and show you, what we talked about. Here he is now. I won't tell him you called, but you had better listen and obey when he gets home."

Click. Lynne stood and looked at the dead phone. Her apprehension turned to fear. What had she never had? What?

Lynne paced the bedroom; her footsteps made no sound on the soft carpet. Panicky thoughts whirled as she pulled back the patchwork quilt. Frenzied butterflies tumbled and galloped in her stomach. With a smile, she remembered a phrase Jill used when she was nervous or upset, 'a herd of butterflies wearing horseshoes are galloping around in my tummy.' For the first time she could relate to that statement!

She crossed the hall to peer out the spare bedroom window, wondering if there'd been time for Gary to be back from David's. She hadn't noticed the time and didn't have any idea how much had passed. She wandered back to their bedroom, undecided if Gary had been serious, or if he just wanted her to worry.

She decided it wouldn't help to wear a path in the carpet. She kicked off her slippers, smooshed the pillows into a heap and flopped down on the bed. With the quilt pulled up to her chin, she squirmed around to get comfortable. The elastic on her sweatpants twisted and tightened as she moved. With a sigh, she slid out of bed, pulled off the sweatshirt and pants, and wadded them into a ball. A defiant toss landed them in the corner. She knew Gary hated it when she did that, but she didn't care.

The bottom dresser drawer squealed as she yanked it open to grab her old, ratty 'comfort' nightgown from its hidden spot. Gary hated her wearing that, too. Rebelliously she thought, "To heck with what Gary thinks. I'm going to be comfortable!"

She skittered across the hall one more time to check for his car. Nothing, yet. As she passed the top of the stairs on her way back to the bedroom, she paused and whistled for Sarah. "Come, Sarah. Come on up here."

Sarah's nails clacked and her ears flapped as she bounded up the stairs. Lynne knelt down in front of her and gave her a big hug. Sarah's wet, sloppy tongue washed Lynne's face. With a swipe at her wet face, Lynne said, "Come on Sarah. Your daddy's already mad at both of us. Let's give him something to really be mad about. After all, it's my bed, too, and he's not here and if I want you on it with me, then that should be my choice, right?"

Sarah cocked her head and woofed in agreement with her mistress. Sarah padded behind Lynne on the way back to the bedroom. As Lynne entered the room, Sarah paused at the door. Lynne patted the bed, and said, "It's OK, Sarah. Come on. Keep me company. I need a friend right now."

Sarah edged towards the bed. This was forbidden territory and she knew it, but her desire to obey her mistress overrode her reluctance. Lynne was already in bed, covers pulled up to her ears. Again, she said, "It's OK, Sarah. Your daddy might be mad, but he'll get over it."

Reassured, Sarah bounded onto the bed, turned around several times, and then settled next to Lynne. Lynne turned on her side, put her arm around Sarah's shoulders and snuggled close. With a sigh, she said, "Let's take a nap. If we're both asleep, maybe Gary won't bother us. Besides, he's had plenty of time to get back from David's. Maybe he went back to the office, or maybe he and David went someplace. If he were really mad, he'd be back by now."

Sarah woofed as she hurtled over Lynne and hit the floor with a resounding thud. Lynne opened bleary eyes, raised her head and yawned. It took a moment for her eyes to focus as she stared at the clock and saw she'd been asleep for almost an hour. Realization hit with a shock; Gary must be home. She hadn't heard the car or the door, but Sarah had.

Gary's voice intermingled with Sarah's puppy-like yaps of excitement. "Hey, Sarah. How's my big girl? You weren't upstairs, were you? Hmm? Don't give me that look, you silly dog. Get your paws off my shoulders. You lie down while I go see your mommy."

Butterflies clomped in Lynne's tummy as she heard Gary's footsteps on the stairs. Undecided, she stood there. Should she act as if nothing had happened? Should she go into the bathroom? Oh, Lord, she should change her nightgown. Gary had threatened to use it to polish his car if he saw it again. Just as her hand reached for the hem to pull it off, she saw Gary standing in the doorway, a large paper sack in his hand.

"Hi, babe. Were you asleep?"

Lynne rushed over, threw her arms around him and with a relieved sigh, said, "Oh, Gary. I thought you were mad at me. I've been so worried. I'm glad that's all over."

Gary laid the sack on the chair near the door and with a gentle touch removed Lynne's hands from his shoulders. He ignored the confused look on her face as he said, "Lynne, I'm not mad. I was scared. Somehow, some way, you have to learn to think before you rush into things. I told you once before that I would spank you if you did something silly again. I wasn't kidding. I just came from David's. I spent a long time talking with him and Jill. I think you can remember how wild Jill was before she and David married. He worried about her almost as much as I worry about you, but he's finally found the way to make her stop and think."

Lynne backed up a step, a horrified look on her face. "Gary! You won't spank me. I'm not a child and I won't let you! I promise I'll think, and I promise I won't worry you again, but you can't do that to me."

"Lynne, I don't want to do this, but you know, at least if you stop and think, that you need something to remember and to remind you before you do something stupid again. Not only that, but you know how much I hate that nightgown," with a frown and a nod towards the balled up clothes in the corner, "and how much I hate it when you throw your clothes around. I also suspect you had Sarah here on the bed with you. It seems to me that you were in trouble before and wouldn't want to do something that you know I don't like. I don't think you've ever heard me say something I didn't mean, so, you will be punished this time. I won't be as extreme as David is with Jill, because I realize your parents never corrected you as a child. But you'll remember this and I hope you'll stop to think in the future. Now, I'm going into the bathroom for a minute and when I come back, I want you on the bed, face down. And get rid of that nightgown!"

Gary picked up the sack from the chair, went into the bathroom and closed the door. Lynne stood, transfixed, as she realized he was dead serious. He planned to spank her and she couldn't do a thing about it. She knew Gary seldom changed his mind.

Her hands trembled as she pulled the nightgown over her head. She held it for a moment, then in a burst of defiance, shoved it into the bottom dresser drawer. Deep down inside, she knew that maybe, just maybe, she deserved a spanking. Not only had she caused an accident, but she'd tossed her clothes into the corner and then compounded her sins by wearing the nightgown.

She moved towards the bed with leaden feet. God! How humiliating! She dropped down on the side of the bed and swung up her feet. Lynne flounced onto her side, pulled the covers up to her ears and then squirmed onto her stomach. She pulled the pillow over her head, in imitation of Sarah's 'ostrich act,' as Gary called it.

Her heart thudded as she lay there. She could hear the splash of water. Thoughts raced. "He wouldn't take a shower and make me lie here like this, would he?"

In the bathroom, Gary filled the new disposable enema bag David had suggested he buy. David had pulled out his to show the two holes in the end of the hose. He explained the narrow tubing would be more comfortable for Lynne than a larger nozzle. Also, even though it was labeled disposable, it could be used many times.

David also explained why he gave enemas to Jill. "That's the best way to get her attention. She knows if she disobeys that she'll get a hot, soapy enema and a thorough spanking while she holds it. Then she still has to hold it while she stands in the corner and thinks about how uncomfortable she is and what she did to deserve it. I used to have to use that at least once a week. Now it's only about once a month. Trust me, Lynne will think twice before she misbehaves again!"

Gary had been intrigued. Although he didn't know for sure, he suspected that she had no idea what an enema was. David had suggested, "If she doesn't know, be easy on her the first time, but let her know that it'll be worse the next time."

Lynne realized the water had stopped and there was silence in the bathroom. She pulled the pillow back enough that she could peer under it. She saw the sliver of light under the door disappear and heard the click of the latch. Gary held a large object, but she couldn't tell what it was. It looked almost like a big clear balloon. She was a little confused. Why would he have a balloon?

"OK. Get the pillow off your head. It doesn't work for Sarah and it won't work for you. Lynne slid the pillow to the side and looked at Gary. Her eyes widened as she got a good look at the item in his hand. A clear bag of some sort about half filled with water. She had no idea what the clear hose attached was for, but she had more than just a suspicion she would find out and that she wouldn't like it.